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The Zhan

Globalization and the Internet - Probe Ministries - 0 views

www.probe.org/...alization_and_the_Internet.htm

1.8_globalization_cultural_diversity 1.6_digital_div_equ_access

shared by The Zhan on 13 Dec 10 - No Cached
  • The Internet has provided an opportunity to build a global information infrastructure that would link together the world's telecommunications and computer networks. But futurists and governmental leaders also believed that this interconnectedness would also bring friendship and cooperation, and that goal seems elusive.
  • Maybe peace and harmony are just over the horizon because of the Internet, but I have my doubts. The information superhighway certainly has connected the world together into one large global network, but highways don't bring peace. Highways connected the various countries in Europe for centuries, yet war was common and peace was not. An information superhighway connects us with countries all over the world, but global cooperation hasn't been the result, at least not yet
  • The information superhighway also has some dark back alleys. At the top of the list is pornography. The Internet has made the distribution of pornography much easier. It used to be that someone wanting to view this material had to leave their home and go to the other side of town. The Internet has become the ultimate brown wrapper. Hard core images that used to be difficult to obtain are now only a mouse click away. Children see pornography at a much younger age than just a decade ago. The average age of first Internet exposure to pornography is eleven years old.{3} Sometimes this exposure is intentional, usually it is accidental. Schools, libraries, and homes using filters often are one step behind those trying to expose more and more people to pornography.
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  • All of these concerns lead to the obvious question: Who will regulate the Internet? In the early day of the Internet, proponents saw it as the cyber-frontier that would be self-regulating. The Internet was to liberate us forever from government, borders, and even our physical selves. One writer said we should "look without illusion upon the present possibilities for building, in the on-line spaces of this world, societies more decent and free than those mapped onto dirt and concrete and capital."
  • Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu, in their book, Who Controls the Internet?, describe the various ways foreign governments have exercised their authority.{6} • France requires Yahoo to block Internet surfers from France so they cannot purchase Nazi memorabilia.{7} • The People's Republic of China requires Yahoo to filter materials that might be harmful or threatening to Party rule. Yahoo is essentially an Internet censor for the Communist party.{8} • The Chinese version of Google is much slower than the American version because the company cooperates with the Chinese government by blocking search words the Party finds offensive (words like Tibet or democracy). Even more disturbing is the revelation that Yahoo provided information to the Chinese government that led to the imprisonment of Chinese journalists and pro-democracy leaders. Reporters Without Borders found that Yahoo has been implicated in the cases of most of the people they were defending.
  • All of this censorship and cooperation with foreign governments is disturbing, but it also underscores an important point. For years, proponents of the Internet have argued that we can't (or shouldn't) block Internet pornography or that we can't regulate what pedophiles do on the Internet. These recent revelations about Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft show that they can and do block information.
  • In previous articles we have addressed the issue of globalization and have recognized that technology (including the Internet) has made it much easier to move information around the world. There is no doubt that the Internet has accelerated the speed of transmission and thus made the world smaller. It is much easier for people around the world to access information and share it with others in this global information infrastructure
  • it diminishes the relevance of borders, territorial governments, and geography. Thomas Friedman believes that the Internet and other technologies are flattening the world "without regard to geography, distance, or, in the near future, even language."
  • There is still a legitimate function for government (Romans 13:1-7) even in this new world of cyberspace. Contrary to the perceived assumption that the Internet will shape governments and move us quickly toward globalization, there is good evidence to suggest that governments will in many ways shape the Internet.
  • The Zhan on 13 Dec 10
     
    An explanation on the implications of the information highways internet provides, censorship and governments.
The Zhan

Freedom of information vital for promoting cultural diversity - 1 views

www.un.org/...story.asp

1.8_globalization_cultural_diversity 1.6_digital_div_equ_access 2.6_pol_gov

shared by The Zhan on 13 Dec 10 - No Cached
  • “Free speech and media freedom are an inseparable part of the United Nations’ mission for peace, human development and a better world,” Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kiyo Akasaka told a global seminar on linguistic diversity, globalization and development in Alexandria, Egypt, on Sunday.
  • “But around the world, we see Governments and those who wield power use many different ways to obstruct it. The Internet and digital media are becoming a new battleground for information.”
  • He cited the impressive pace of innovation and growth in new information and communications technologies (ICTs): by the end of 2010, there will be an estimated 5.3 billion mobile cell phone users; access to mobile networks is now available to 90 per cent of the world population and 80 per cent of people living in rural areas. Moreover, the total number of text messages sent globally has tripled in the past three years, from 1.8 trillion to a staggering 6.1 trillion, that is 200,000 text messages sent every second, and the number of Internet users has doubled between 2005 and 2010, when it will surpass the 2 billion mark, of which 1.2 billion will be in developing countries.
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  • But the digital divide remains, he warned, with 71 per cent of the population of developed countries online, compared to only 21 per cent in developing countries, and by the end of this year, Internet users in Africa will reach 9.6 per cent, far behind the world average of 30 per cent. For millions of people in poorer countries, downloading a high-quality movie can take one-and-a-half days compared to five minutes somewhere else.
  • All this increased connectivity and the role media and institutions can play in protecting and promoting cultural and linguistic diversity and ensuring its use for the greater good require two elements, Mr. Akasaka stressed.
  • “First, is the need to find ways to provide information to all people,” he said. “And second, is the need to ensure that the information that is conveyed – the substance – is diverse, pluralistic, and tolerant. Member States, the private sector, UNESCO and the United Nations are all working to bring information and communication assets and services to communities around the world.
  • The Zhan on 13 Dec 10
     
    Statements of a UN official stressing the importance of the freedom of information for globalisation.
Morten Nielsen

Over 3 years later, "deleted" Facebook photos are still online - 2 views

arstechnica.com/...ok-photos-are-still-online.ars

1.1_reliability_integrity 1.3_privacy_anonymity 1.12_digital_citizenship 2.5_social_networking 3.4_internet

shared by Morten Nielsen on 08 Feb 12 - No Cached
  • "did not always delete images from content delivery networks in a reasonable period of time even though they were immediately removed from the site,
  • In the meantime, photos that users thought they "deleted" from the social network months or even years ago remain accessible via direct link.
  • "working with our content delivery network (CDN) partner to significantly reduce the amount of time that backup copies persist."
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  • but said the company is working on a new system that will delete the photos in a mere month and a half
  • Morten Nielsen on 08 Feb 12
     
    I find, in this scenario, Facebook's behaviour immoral. They have known of this problem for three years, and they have yet to produce any progress. Facebook does not seem to respect one's stance on these things. If you wish the picture deleted, then it should be deleted.
  • ...2 more comments...
  • Jorge F1 on 09 Feb 12
     
    I agree with Morten, if Facebook has known this problem for the past three years they should have done something about it not wait for someone to find out and then apologise and attempt to fix the problem later. However, i'm not quite sure on how this works because I have had friends send me links to pictures that were deleted minutes before and a content error appears and i'm not able to access the picture/link.
  • Mr Brooke on 09 Feb 12
     
    Jorge I think the difference is that if you have a direct link ie the url of the image then you can still see it. A link from someone's wall will be broken and the image will appear to have gone.
  • The Zhan on 10 Feb 12
     
    The apparent deletion of photos takes place by the elimination "all of the metadata for the photo as well as any and all tagging and linking information. For all practical purposes, the photo no longer exists. However, technically, the bits that make up the photo persist somewhere. It's possible that someone who previously had access to a photo and saved the direct URL from the CDN (...) could still access the photo." http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/2493/how-long-does-facebook-keep-data-of-a-deleted-account In the article, "Wolens claims that Facebook is on the verge of fixing up its content systems so that "deleted" photos are really, truly deleted from the CDN within 45 days." However, the reliability of this claim is compromised by Facebook's Terms of Service, which every user must comply prior to creating an account. Summing up, it grants Facebook the right to do whatever they like with old content. They can even sublicense it: "You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and DISTRIBUTE (through multiple tiers), any User Content." http://consumerist.com/2009/02/facebooks-new-terms-of-service-we-can-do-anything-we-want-with-your-content-forever.html Note the contradictions with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998: "If you collect data about people for one reason, you can not use it for another; You can not give people's data to other people or
  • The Zhan on 10 Feb 12
     
    ...organizations unless they agree;" http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Protection_Act I get the impression that through blurring the ownership of intellectual property and personal records, social networks have some ulterior motives. The following passage in the article suggests the photos could, in fact, be instantly deleted from the CDN databases: "(Amusingly, after publishing the 2010 followup, Facebook appeared to delete my photos from its CDN that I had linked in the piece. (...) Other "deleted" photos that I had saved links to-ones that weren't from my account and were deleted even earlier than mine-remained online.)" Zuckerberg counterargues: "trust us, we're not doing this to profit from you, it's so we are legally protected as we enable you to share content with other users and services." http://consumerist.com/2009/02/facebooks-new-terms-of-service-we-can-do-anything-we-want-with-your-content-forever.html In the end, it is in the hands of the user to control what is shared and given up ownership of.
Mr Brooke

Face recognition: In the future, can you remain anonymous? - Jan. 13, 2012 - 3 views

money.cnn.com/...face_recognition

shared by Mr Brooke on 13 Jan 12 - No Cached
    • Mr Brooke
      Mr Brooke on 17 Jan 12
       
      I love the fact that the opt in can be as simple as "walking into a store"
  • benjon hamal on 14 Jan 12
     
    The social and ethical issues presented by this article is on privacy and anonymity.
  • ...2 more comments...
  • The Zhan on 15 Jan 12
     
    Describe, step by step, how the IT system works. An example of a face recognition and detection technology is the iPhone app that can snap a photo of a person and within seconds display their name, date of birth and social security number. 1. A good quality, well-lit photograph of the person is taken. 2. The image is sent to a server where a database of images is located. 3. The images in the database are downloaded from publicly available sources (any database containing faces and names), such as facebook, twitter or LinkedIn profiles. 4. According to the information available in that profile, such as date and location of higher education stydy, other data can be inferred (date and state of birth). 5. This data is inserted into an algorithm developed to predict the social security number. All of this still within the database. 6. The biometric features of the iPhone photograph is compared to those of the image in the database 7. If they match, the information about that person is returned from the server to the iPhone: name, date of birth, state, social security nr. What are the flaws within this system? Explain the relationship between the IT system (facial recognition iPhone app) and the social/ethical (privacy and anonymity) "The technology to analyse faces in improving so quickly that unpredictable (...) inferrences from that information have become possible." - Alessandro Acquisti, professor of IT and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College The app is a proof-of-concept of how our privacy can be easily breached on a widespread basis (as one walks into a store or protests in a convention)
  • Tranny Franny on 18 Jan 12
     
    This article raises the issue of privacy and anonymity. This article shows how there is a possibility that in the near future, as long as the technology continues to develop at this rate, all of our personal data will be stored on a database along with an image of our faces. The fact that a person can be recognized at any moment anywhere means that people will start to be monitored and everything they do will be recorded. This completely strips people from their privacy, much like the Big Brother situation that is described in George Orwell's "1984". This technology can, however, bring certain advantages as through the constant monitoring of people, people involved in criminal acts will be identified with much more ease and therefore crime levels are sure to decrease. However, this can also raise an issue of reliability, as although it is a very small percentage of it happening, there can be the case where the camera misidentifies someone, and in a case of crime, that could lead to an innocent person being conviected for a crime they did not commit. And although at the end of the article "Wear a mask," is said by John Verdi, senior counsel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center as a joke, if the tecnhology continues to develop, we might find ourselves in the ridiculous situation where the only way to ever remain anonymous is to in fact wear a mask.
  • Mr Brooke on 19 Jan 12
  • Fiche Galinha on 19 Jan 12
     
    We could all just replace our eyes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx9IEP8pmiI&feature=related In the above clip we see an example of what might happen if facial recognition ever reaches the level portrayed in Minority Report. As the protagonist walks into the store, an AI asks him how he felt about his last purchase at the shop, information obtained by scanning the protagonist's eyes and searching for what he has bought. This brings up the issue of privacy, as has correctly been mentioned above, as third-party companies will be able to access databases with data concerning what people purchase, how much they spend and where they are.
Fiche Galinha

BBC News - Google admits profiting from illegal Olympic ticket ads - 6 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...business-16468846

3.4_internet 1.1_reliability_integrity 1.5_authenticity 2.1_bus_emp 2.1_online_bus

shared by Fiche Galinha on 10 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Jorge F1 on 11 Jan 12
     
    This article has made clear that the AdWords advertising system is flawed, it is unacceptable for a large company like Google to lead users to believe that a website can be trusted using the 'sponsored links' and continues to make profit. This goes against the 6th point in Google's philosophy "You can make money without doing evil" although they are not doing it consciously. From the article I understood that the system is run using an automated filter to identify websites which break Google's policy and a manual assessment also takes place by a human. Instead of using just one human, a group of humans can assess the adverts to ensure nothing is missed. Furthermore, an update of Google's databases should regularly take place in order to catch illegal websites quicker.
  • ...3 more comments...
  • Jorge F1 on 11 Jan 12
     
    Here is a list of all Google's philosophy, http://www.google.com/about/corporate/company/tenthings.html
  • Mr Brooke on 11 Jan 12
     
    Good story this and nice link to Google's philosophy Jorge. This article is a good one for commenting on the relationship between the stakeholder and the IT system. Anyone want to step up and "Describe the relationship of one primary stakeholder to the IT system"?
  • Tranny Franny on 11 Jan 12
     
    This article raises a huge reliability issue as people are being tricked to buying tickets from fake websites, which are advertised by Google. Due to its increasing reputation over the years, the average internet user will use and think of Google as the most reliable website to navigate, and therefore would trust most of the llinks that would appear when they search for something. The secure and reliable reputation Google has is what makes the fact that these illegal websites being sponsored ads such a large issue. It affects many web users and as they are likely to visit these websites, their personal information such as bank account details and personal details are made public. So security could also be seen as an issue as these people are put at risk as they have given their bank account data to fake websites, who could use the data gain access to bank accounts and steal money.
  • Morten Nielsen on 11 Jan 12
     
    Google's corrupt sponsored links affects nearly every digital citizen, as Google is by far the most popular and used search engine. There is alternatives to Google, but nevertheless Google is the most popular search engine(we're talking 70+% http://www.seoconsultants.com/search-engines/ ) I agree with Jorge's main ideas above. However, I do not think that increasing the number of people checking would make any large difference. It is their filters which needs an update - something I'm sure they're already doing. It does raise some reliability concerns, being the most popular search engine, you'd expect them not to endorse(even unknowingly) corrupt links.
  • El Mexicano Pastiche on 12 Jan 12
     
    The social and ethical issues related to this news story are reliability, privacy and anonimity to an extent. Privacy as the information from the buyers credit card is given to what seems to be an unknown person or company. The multiple stakeholders seen would be the buyer, Google and the advertiser. Although it is via Google that the advertiser gets sell his product, it is important to understand that there are most likely thousands of advertisements added daily to the Google search engine and, referring back to Jorge's point, it would be very likely that humans would fail to see such mistakes as well after repeatedly going through hundreds of adds everyday. The trust and reliance that people have on Google can be misleading and it is evident that to solve such an issue people must be awared of the several scams that they are exposed to every single day in order to prevent this sort of problems.
Mr Brooke

3quarksdaily: All About PIPA and SOPA, the Bills That Want to Censor Your Internet - 2 views

www.3quarksdaily.com/...t-to-censor-your-internet.html

1.4_Intellectual_Property 2.6_gov_control_use_info 3.4_internet

shared by Mr Brooke on 18 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Mr Brooke on 18 Jan 12
     
    Nice video explaining the current issues
  • ...4 more comments...
  • Jorge F1 on 18 Jan 12
     
    In my opinion, the main objective is purely to protect the entertainment industry by blocking infringing domain names however, as stated in the video these industries do not contribute so much to the US economy. Furthermore, theses bills will put the stability of new search engines at risk as the US government will be able to sue them if they advertise any infringing website.
  • Mr Brooke on 19 Jan 12
     
    If you're looking to understand the debate from the perspective of copyright holders, then watch Follow the Money: Who Profits from Piracy?,( http://vimeo.com/22541902 ) a video that tracks the theft of one movie, making it a microcosm of a larger problem.
  • Fiche Galinha on 19 Jan 12
     
    Although protecting the entertainment industry from piracy and blocking certain websites containing disturbing and innappropriate material (paedophilia) is a good idea, the way SOPA and PIPA have been written/proposed makes it very easy for people enforcing both acts to abuse their power. Once we censor one thing, other will decide that other things must also be censored, therefore destroying any sembelence of free-speech Internet users have. I also find it worrying how the American Senate decided by itself that these two acts should be made law, in the process crippling the Internet, a resource used by billions of people all around the world and not just the population of the US.
  • The Zhan on 20 Jan 12
     
    Criterion B . Describe, step by step, how the IT system works. How unauthorised sites outside usa jurisdiction is censored within american borders: A little bit like the great firewall of China, this kind of censorship takes place at a router level. 1. The American ISPs enter the domain names of the unauthorised sites and directories, blogs and forums that contain related links into the Internet routers. These enable data to flow back and forth between ISPs in the USA and Internet servers around the world. 2. The user types in the domain name of an unauthorised website. 3. The request is sent to the web server at the ISP, and the domain name is looked up on the database of addresses in the router 4. The router denies the request from the web server 5. An error message appears in the user's browser how chinese censorship works - http://embargo.gn.apc.org/3.htm#_ftn5 how internet works - http://www.explainthatstuff.com/internet.html
  • El Mexicano Pastiche on 20 Jan 12
     
    The SOPA is mainly adresses the protection of intellectual property of content creators. Obviously this is the one of the biggest advantages being proposed by the act as artists and entertainers will be able to profit more from the content they make. Nowadays much of their content is illegally downloaded from the internet, such as music. However SOPA will have a severe impact on online freedom of speech as numerous websites would be affected by the act and blacklisted as a result. The internet is makes frequent use of copyrighted material not necessarily in a legal way. Doing streaming of such content after the act could lead to a maximum penalty of five years in prison. However the US congress states that protecting intellectual property is not the same as censorship http://agbeat.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sopa-infographic1.png The image above provides more detail about SOPA including how it will take effect and the impact it would have on businesses. It shows the major supporters of SOPA as well as the major opposers, one of them being Google.
  • The Zhan on 27 Jan 12
     
    Apparently there are multiple ways of circumventing the SOPA: 1. Using a VPN Service 2. Using Your HOSTs File 3. Using TOR 4. Using a Web DNS Tool 5. Changing Your DNS Server 6. Using Command Prompt 7. Using Foxy Proxy 8. Using MAFIAAFire Source: http://www.zeropaid.com/news/95013/8-technical-methods-that-make-the-protect-ip-act-useless/
Jorge F1

Israeli hacker retaliates to credit card hacking - 2 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...world-middle-east-16526067

1.2_security 2.6_military 3.7_databases

shared by Jorge F1 on 15 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Jorge F1 on 15 Jan 12
     
    An Israeli hacker has published details of hundreds of Saudi credit cards online and is threatening to post more in revenge for acts by Arab hackers.
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  • Ines Simon on 18 Jan 12
     
    One of the main social and ethical issues in this article is surly privacy. Privacy has been a main issue for our society, not only about credit card details, yet also other personal information. As technology is increasing, the less privacy we have as there are more ways in obtaining this information. And in this case, as technology is increasing, hackers are also as there are easier and more ways in order to get the information they want. There are various ways the hacker can get access to these thousands of credit card numbers, here is one step-by-step of one of the ways of how this IT system works: Firstly, the hacker (or hackers) go around lots of banks and put a small video camera pointing to the bank machine keypad. This video camera is well hidden so that people cannot see them. When someone goes to the machine, they put their credit card number and this analogue information converts to digital information and is recorded in the memory in the video camera. After a few hours/days, the hackers remove the video cameras and upload the data in the memory card via a USB cable and save the data on their servers. The hackers then watch the video and record the credit card numbers on a paper/other computer. With this information, they can obtain more personal information such as names, phone numbers, post codes etc with specialized programs. Finally, when they have all the information they have, they post the personal information including the credit card numbers, on the internet. Yet, in order to maintain the hacker anonymous and not being able to be found via the IP address, he uses another proxy server when uploading this information on the internet. There are also other ways to get the credit card information such as: - Intercepting emails containing passwords - Popups infected by viruses - Spyware - Spam - Keyloggers etc. Some possible solutions for this issue is: - When typing your credit card number in the bank machine keypad, hide the keypad coveri
  • Morten Nielsen on 18 Jan 12
     
    Well yes, I agree with Ines. This is to some extent about privacy. However, I doubt that they obtained that much information by use of cameras in banks. I'd find it much more likely if they have obtained the data from a database in the private sector. I do not think privacy is the most important issue here though. By far and large the most important issue in the article - is how cyber warfare could start to affect the conflict in the Middle East. We've seen how valuable the Internet was in the Arab Spring. The cyber warfare is going to be, and to some extent I imagine, is already an essential tool for the different factions in the Middle East. As this was a breach in the private sector, the security there must be improved with f.ex. stronger firewalls.They must improve their security, if not they are sure to lose money because of the reliability issue.
  • Ines Simon on 19 Jan 12
     
    I agree with you, Morten. However, I gave one example of how it would be possible to obtain the credit card numbers, where I gave in the end more examples of how it would be possible to do so.
Isy :)

'Anonymous' targets German far-right with Nazi-leaks.net - 7 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...technology-16424987

1.2_security 1.3_privacy_anonymity 3.4_internet 2.4_political_processes

shared by Isy :) on 10 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Tranny Franny on 10 Jan 12
     
    The social and ethical issues that relate to this article are that privacy and security and reliablility to a certain extent. What the Anonymous group are doing is basically taking people's personal information such as name, age, adress etc. and putting online for everyone to see, simply becuase they favoured nazi views. This is essentially the invasion of people's privacy as people's information is free for everyone to see. IT is also a security issue as people who feel very strongly against people who favour nazi views, have access to these peoples' adresses and could impose a danger. Reliability is also an issue, as it's mentioned in the article that none of the people that were mentioned in the website were actually confirmed to share Nazi ideals, meaing they are unjustly putting people in danger.
  • ...1 more comment...
  • Mr Brooke on 11 Jan 12
     
    One of the problems here is the authenticity of data being released. ""This is a lot of data, but there are already some names where it's clear the people are not right-wing extremists." Some people identified in the data had merely been contacted by right-wing publications seeking interviews, she added." Some of the people on the list are not Nazis. What could be a solution to this?
  • Morten Nielsen on 11 Jan 12
     
    The article does raise some rather interesting social and ethical concerns. The main thing here is of course "Anonymous" breaking the Data Protection Act 1998 with their unlawful obtaining of personal information. While one can admire "Anonymous" fight against neo-nazism, the results they are producing are in fact not reliable. Though, as we've seen in the past, "Anonymous" are skilled proper encryption and security should have been able to fend them off and safeguard all information. Looking back, this would have the ideal to avoid the situation the websites are in now. I cannot see a plausible way of undoing this, and again give privacy to those who had it broken, as the information has been linked to multiple other sites - so perhaps this is only to serve as a lesson for others websites containing personal information.
  • joey <3 on 11 Jan 12
     
    Well, to be honest the best solution would just to not post any private information online but seeing as that option wouldn't be considered by the 'anonymous' hacker group they could at least find a way and make sure that the only personal information posted online its authentic and from the main followers and contributors to this Nazi supporting website… but I don't really know how they would be able to do this, sooo if anyone knows please share because now I'm curious aha As much as I don't agree with the Nazi ideals and as much as I believe that supporting them is (sorry for being improper here) idiotic. I still don't agree with posting this private information online because as mentioned above, this does pose a major danger to the people whose information has been posted online by the people who have very strong feelings against these Nazi supporters.
Jorge F1

DNA link led to sex attack arrest - 4 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...uk-england-essex-15923444

1.2_security 2.6_law_control 3.7_databases

shared by Jorge F1 on 05 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Jorge F1 on 05 Jan 12
     
    The national DNA database proved "uniquely crucial" in an investigation that led to the conviction of a sex attacker in Essex. But police fear the service that helped to link Lawrence Button to the sexual assault of a former University of Essex student, in 2009, may be scaled back.
  • ...3 more comments...
  • The Zhan on 06 Jan 12
     
    This article compromises the privacy of British citizens, as well as the reliability and integrity of the DNA database. I will focus my comment on the latter. It was a matter of fortune that Button's DNA had been collected due to his arrest for a domestic assault in May 2010. This is because according to the Protection of Freedoms Bill, biometric material can only be retained if the holder consents it formally. This consent "can be withdrawn at any time". There are also strict regulations on the amount of time that a DNA profile can be retained by authorities according to the new Bill. In addition to that, what way is there to ensure the 62 million(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom) British citizens have their DNA profile taken and input in the database? This compromises the integrity and completeness of the DNA database. According to the article itself, "The national database is believed to hold over five million DNA profiles". The new Bill also "requires schools to get parents' consent before processing children's biometric information" (http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-11/protectionoffreedoms.html) The full official bill on the regulation of biometric data can be found at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/2010-2012/0099/lbill_2010-20120099_en_2.htm#pt1-ch1-pb1-l1g1 Hence the sweeping statement "The odds, we were told, were over a billion to one, so we were quite confident we'd got the right man", is certainly misleading, because the database is likely not to include a fraction of the British population. The most disturbing thing is that the responsible chief Richard McNamara states "it was the DNA alone that convicted the man, because we never had any other evidence". Is it really ethical to convict a criminal solely based on a potentially incomplete database? A solution to this problem would be to enforce surveillance systems and active police monitoring in order to obtain more plausible evidence.
  • The Zhan on 06 Jan 12
     
    This article regards the compromising of the privacy of British citizens, as well as the reliability and integrity of the DNA database. I will focus my comment on the latter.
  • Mr Brooke on 06 Jan 12
     
    "The Zhan" you raise some interesting points on the privacy issues of DNA databases. However I think you may have misunderstood the reliability issue of the DNA test. When two DNA samples are found to be the same then it is 99.99% certain that it is in fact the DNA of the suspect and is a very reliable indicator that it was that person. There are forensic issues involved in the collection and contamination of DNA samples from a crime scene but that is another issue. The main social and ethical issue here that you have rightly pointed out is the collection and storage of DNA from people. This article outlines some of these issues from 2008: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7177152.stm Here the issue of innocent peoples data being stored has come because ....."following a change in the law in 2001, all DNA collected by forensics - for whatever purpose - can be stored permanently. " It was promised in the recent election in the UK to destroy old data but it appears to be one of the many U turns that the current government has made: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/8659968/A-Bill-to-curtail-our-liberty.html
  • The Zhan on 06 Jan 12
     
    I agree with your first point to some extent, but I think that implying that it DNA profiling is 99.99% accurate is when in fact it is 99.9999999999% accurate (one to a trillion sir, get it right), is not acceptable - according to this http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/henryporter/2009/may/25/dna-database-false-positive I think that retaining DNA samples in databases and profiling an individual in a pervasively detailed manner could lead to extremes such as that of convicting criminals for pre-crimes, as portrayed in the film Minority Report. That would heavily compromise a citizen's privacy. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7tBjrA8Mj0/TWPfWNY9-0I/AAAAAAAAADg/QTXlFpTtNvM/s1600/MINORITY+REPORT.jpg "The US government has come up with a Big Brother-esque machine that senses if an individual intends to do harm". The system, "Future Attribute Screening Technology (FAST), determines if a person intends to do harm by using a mal-intent algorithm that uses data from sensors that monitor a person's physiological and behavioral changes." http://news.techworld.com/security/3309928/tom-cruise-pre-crime-minority-report-machine-brought-to-life/
  • Mr Brooke on 06 Jan 12
     
    Good find Zhan! Would be interesting to see what the bods in the maths department have to say about "adventitious matches" and statistical probability. Maybe any of you who do HL maths can follow it up and add to this? Nice to see a reference to some classic sci-fi as well. This is a favourite read of mine. Also one of my all time top ten films! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Androids_Dream_of_Electric_Sheep%3F http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/
Fiche Galinha

BBC News - O2 apology for disclosing mobile phone numbers online - 3 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...technology-16725531

1.3_privacy_anonymity 3.3_networks 2.1_bus_emp

shared by Fiche Galinha on 25 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Isy :) on 25 Jan 12
     
    25 January 2012 Last updated at 12:23 ET O2 has apologised for a technical problem which caused users' phone numbers to be disclosed when using its mobile data. The company said it normally only passed numbers to "trusted partners". A problem during routine maintenance meant that from 10 January numbers could have been seen by other websites.
  • ...5 more comments...
  • Morten Nielsen on 25 Jan 12
     
    Well, the main problem in this story is the privacy of the O2 users in my opinion. The issue is the fact that they've let(intentional or not) websites gain the user's phone number. Even though they "investigated, identified and fixed it this afternoon" - it is still rather disconcerting that it happened. It might have a been an isolated problem, but that does not change the fact that their personal information was shared without their consent. But I may be overreacting, as of now there is no knowing how many will be affected. However, one would expect that there some are legal obligations in terms of notifing the offended costumer and the authorities - this does not seem to be the case in a lot of EU countries. Including the UK as far as I can tell. Last year there was talk of creating data breach notification laws in the EU - but from what I gather has not passed yet.
  • Morten Nielsen on 25 Jan 12
     
    This article writes about the EU data protection act - I guess I was right, there are no laws universal EU law at the moment. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/248566/eus_data_protection_proposals_likely_to_include_24hour_breach_notification.html It says that the EU should have made an announcement today about it.
  • Isy :) on 25 Jan 12
     
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15730499 How much privacy can smartphone owners expect?
  • Morten Nielsen on 25 Jan 12
     
    How much privacy can anyone except these days? It is no only owners of smartphones. Our generation is literally throwing away our privacy. Smartphones, facebook - it seems to be that most mainstream technology items lessen our privacy nowadays. http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/use-google-time-to-get-real-about-protecting-your-digital-self/251981/#.TyBIy3wo_AA "Google's decided to integrate the data it has about you, which means you better think about the digital tracks you're leaving. "
  • Ines Simon on 26 Jan 12
     
    I agree with Morten and Isy. Privacy is decreasing by the second. Technology is increasing rapidly and many people like these new technologies, such as using smartphones, social networks etc. Yet, are they aware of all these drawbacks? Privacy is lacking, and many people believe that we don't even have privacy anymore since data can be accessed much easily now that technology has evolved. Here's a video about how a smartphone can cause privacy issues. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2vARzvWxwY&feature=fvst With one click on a person's picture, people may obtain their location, where they live and other personal information. This is a cause of technology rising so much in the past years, which has lead to all these privacy issues. People should start to be more aware of this situation, that by only a picture on the internet people can obtain personal information that can lead to severe issues. One of the solutions for this issue could be to turn off the location service on their smartphone in order to not be able to be tracked where hackers can see the exact place where a person is.
  • El Mexicano Pastiche on 26 Jan 12
     
    As mentioned above the the issue concerned about in this article is privacy as peoples information (mobile phone numbers) are displayed on websites without their consent. Obviously the fact of having others know personal information may leave people concerned, however they must be aware that their personal information is spread all over the internet. From pictures on facebook to a gmail/youtube accounts peoples names, adresses and surnames are most likely known by some companies. Google and Facebook holds personal information that belongs to each one of us. What companies like such do to profit from this is sell a list of names, adresses and emails to third party which will then have means of communication with us to advertise their products and this is responsible for some of the spam we receive. The solution for this specific scenario of mobile phones isn't very clear, although it has been fixed no way of how it could of been prevented was suggested. Perhaps a the server could be shut down while it was under maintenance and another one should've been running in the meanwhile. Clearly the issue here had nothing to do with the mobile phone users and there was nothing they could have done as they were unnaware of the situation. I personally believe that privacy does not exist on the internet. It someone wishes to have privacy then the safest way to go do so is to not use/be connected to the internet. http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/30/when-it-comes-to-cell-phone-privacy-youre-an-open-book/ Shows how mobile phones can cause privacy issues and how police officers now have gadgets that allows then to see everything that a person has done in their mobile phone, this clearly violates peoples privacy.
  • Isy :) on 26 Jan 12
     
    I would just like to mention that I posted this, not fiche galinha -.- diigo is trolling me.
Morten Nielsen

Feds: We obtained MegaUpload conversations with search warrant | Media Maverick - CNET ... - 2 views

news.cnet.com/...versations-with-search-warrant

1.2_security 1.3_privacy_anonymity 1.7_surveillance 2.6_gov_control_use_info 2.6_law_control 3.4_internet

shared by Morten Nielsen on 02 Feb 12 - No Cached
  • there are hints that the FBI managed to place government-issued spyware on the defendants' computers.
  • The FBI cites alleged conversations between DotCom and his top lieutenants, including e-mail and Skype instant-messaging logs. Some of the records go back nearly five years,
  • Sources told CNET yesterday that Skype, the Internet phone service now owned by Microsoft, was not asked by the feds to turn over information and was not served with legal process.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Ira Rothken, MegaUpload's attorney, declined to comment yesterday about how his client's internal documents were obtained by the government, but said the government's "allegations are flimsy under the law."
  • On January 19, New Zealand police raided the home of DotCom in a rural area outside of Auckland. The U.S. government is seeking to extradite DotCom; a local judge denied bail and an extradition hearing is scheduled for February 22.
  • Morten Nielsen on 02 Feb 12
     
    The concern is privacy.Apparently the FBI was able to acquire Kim DotCom's messages with other MegaUpload employers by means of spyware, which could access skype conversations stored on a local host. Even though the FBI had a warrant to search for information, this is still rather disconcerting. This software can easily be misused. The software is called CIPAV and it stands for Computer and Internet Protocol Address Verifier. This software is able to send "network-level messages" containing the target computer's IP address, Ethernet MAC address, environment variables, the last-visited Web site, and other registry-type information including the name of the registered owner of the computer and the operating system's serial number. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10222294-38.html
  • Ines Simon on 02 Feb 12
     
    I agree with you Morten. The social and ethical issue here is privacy. In the article they specify when saying "Sources told CNET yesterday that Skype, the Internet phone service now owned by Microsoft, was not asked by the feds to turn over information and was not served with legal process" that Skype did not give permission to the FBI to access this information. Even though the Data Protection Act states that "Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes." it is still not appropriate to "hack" into Kim DotCom's messages. Here is a link with the rules for Data Protection Act. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/29/schedule/1 Privacy is coming to bits, the only way we can talk to people knowing that knowing is going to get hold o f that information is by face-to-face communication, and even by that way people can be hearing the conversation secretly. Where has privacy gone?
Mr Brooke

BBC News - Apple launches e-textbook tools with new iBooks - 9 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...technology-16634097

shared by Mr Brooke on 20 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Morten Nielsen on 26 Jan 12
     
    1.11_people_machines 1.12_digital_citizenship 2.2_edu_training 2.2_hw_networks_classroom
  • ...1 more comment...
  • joey <3 on 26 Jan 12
     
    1.11_people_machines 2.2_IT_teach_learn 3.4_internet
  • Ines Simon on 26 Jan 12
     
    1.11_people_machines 1.6_digital_div_equ_access 2.2_IT_teach_learn 3.2 _software
  • The Zhan on 26 Jan 12
     
    Stakeholders: Students Advantages for students Productivity applications and textbooks are available to download online - easy global Access. the files are digital, so they can be transfered easily The online texbooks are safe from physical dangers, such as fires Convenience - being able to access iTunes U (university level resources) and the internet Saving time - files in an electronic format can be edited, searched and backed up easily. Disadvantages for students Although the files are safe, the iBook itself is still susceptible to physical damage The files may be corrupt Battery power failures and technical problems (they don't happen with physical notebooks) Access to internet and resources may depend on whether the space has wireless Access to games and rich interactive productivity applications can become the norm. Thence users' attention span may decrease The cost of product, of electronic textbooks and applications is the major issue From an evaluative point of view, I think that using a portable electronic device in place of a physical textbook would not benefit the students very much. The values a teacher is looking for are the ability to focus and listen, and the iBook could encourage the student to run parallel tasks at inappropriate times. The device would not be suitable for younger audiences, and in my opinion, it would contribute to a child being spoiled. Rather more mature users would benefit from this product, because they are more conscious of its function and, most importantly, the price they had to pay for it. Other stakeholders may include Apple, educators and digital course material publishers.
El Mexicano Pastiche

Hackers expose defence and intelligence officials in US and UK - 4 views

www.guardian.co.uk/...defence-intelligence-officials

3.4_internet 1.2_security 1.3_privacy_anonymity 2.6_military 3.7_databases

shared by El Mexicano Pastiche on 10 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • benjon hamal on 10 Jan 12
     
    This article presents intellectual property theft of civil servants. The article raises many ethical issues such as of privacy, anonymity, security etc. The hackers have accessed private information of government officials, (some of them who work in sensitive areas) their details and emails. Some officials fear that their e-mails can be quickly cracked using off the self software. Some companies client's credit card numbers and addresses were also hacked. The hackers, who are an anonymous groups have clearly violated the privacy rights of individuals. Exposing civil servants data can turn out to be of serious problem for the government. New methods should be developed to secure these confidential data.
  • ...2 more comments...
  • Mr Brooke on 11 Jan 12
     
    Good overview of the issues there Benjon. Intellectual property is not the issue here however so be careful using terminology correctly. You have stated one of the problems can anyone be more specific about that problem and provide a solution?
  • Jorge F1 on 11 Jan 12
     
    The article depicts how the personal information of various government organisations have been illegally accessed, furthermore these details have been posted on a vast amount of websites and details such as email passwords etc can be easily cracked using off the shelf software. This means that anyone who has seen the exposed data can easily gain further access to credit card details etc. Furthermore, this puts lives at risk for MI6 agents especially as their cover is supposed to maintain secret, if that sort of information gets into the wrong hands the cover of many agents will be blown and their lives will be at risk.
  • Fiche Galinha on 11 Jan 12
     
    There are various different ways in which security could be improved to prevent a similar incident from happening. It is mentioned in the article, and by Benjon that simple of the shelf software would be capable of decrypting the passwrords stored on the Stratfor database. This in my opinion is quite shocking as Stratfor offers its service to government officials all around the world, most likely for a monetary fee, and seem to not care whether or not the information they are MEANT to secure is infact secure. This issues could be easily solved by improving their encryption technology to or close to military grade encryption. It is most likely that the company's reputation has been severely damaged and rightly so.
  • Mr Brooke on 11 Jan 12
     
    Nice link here explaining basics of military encryption: http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/Advanced-Encryption-Standard Also I follow this guy's blog and he always has some interesting stories on security and has done a lot of work in the world of cryptography: http://www.schneier.com/
El Mexicano Pastiche

Google offers secure searching to protect from nosy bosses and ISPs - 4 views

www.guardian.co.uk/...google-encrypted-secure-search

1.3_privacy_anonymity 2.1_bus_emp 3.3_networks

shared by El Mexicano Pastiche on 24 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • El Mexicano Pastiche on 24 Jan 12
     
    Google has enabled encrypted searching using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) which it says will prevent "employers and internet service providers" from reading what is sent. The possibility that employers and ISPs might be watching peoples' search traffic clearly concerns Google, and it has often concerned employees.
  • ...3 more comments...
  • Mr Brooke on 24 Jan 12
     
    Might want to rethink those tags Sr Pastiche. Any suggestions anyone?
  • El Mexicano Pastiche on 24 Jan 12
     
    I knew it was privacy and anonymity, I was testing you sir.
  • Mr Brooke on 24 Jan 12
     
    Did I pass?
  • Tranny Franny on 26 Jan 12
     
    Essentially what Google is trying to do is to offer people a way of securely navigating their website, using SSL, so that people don't have to worry about being monitored. People can see if they are using the secure version of the google search engine if the web adress cointains "https" rather than just "http". SSL works as follows: 1- The web browser being used checks the websites' certificate to make sure that the client is connecting to the real site and not someone intercepting 2- The encryption types that the browser and the web site server can both use to understand each other are determined 3- Browser and Server each send each other unique codes to use when encrypting the data that will be sent 4- The browser and server start communicating using encryption, leaving the web pages secured. For more information on how SSL works ckeck the following website: http://www.ourshop.com/resources/ssl.html
  • The Zhan on 02 Feb 12
     
    The following article shows how the asymmetric encryption inherent to SSL (Secure sockets layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) have been rendered useless by a tool called BEAST (Browser Exploit Against SSL/TLS). It attacks the "AES encryption algorithm" used in the cryptographic protocols. "BEAST is able to grab and decrypt HTTPS cookies once installed on an end user's browser." "While other attacks focus on the authenticity property of SSL, BEAST attacks the confidentiality of the protocol. As far as we know, BEAST implements the first attack that actually decrypts HTTPS requests". "Transaction confidentiality based on the SSL TLS V1.0 protocol (the most used still today) is dead." "The only true defense from fraudulent transactions is to sign the (...) transaction data so that the attacker cannot inject bogus material. This means effectively using a token with a pin pad." "Fixing the vulnerability that BEAST exploits may require a major change to the protocol itself." http://www.itpro.co.uk/636304/ssl-under-threat-as-flaw-exploited
The Zhan

Shopping by phone at South Korea's virtual grocery - 0 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...business-15341910

1.6_digital_div_equ_access; 1.11_people_machines; 2.1_online_bus

shared by The Zhan on 06 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • When I explain it's a virtual supermarket that you access with your smartphone, he doesn't seem impressed. He says he doesn't have a smartphone, so it's not for him. But he says, it's a good idea for younger Koreans.
  • She has more than 500 of the company's most popular grocery products to choose from.
  • Kim holds her phone over the black-and-white QR - the Quick Response code - just under the picture of the coffee. There's a beep, and the picture of the coffee appears on her phone screen. She selects what bag size she wants, then the app asks her to enter when and where she'd like the product delivered.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • After trying out the virtual store, Kim Yoona agrees that for her, it does not yet replace a physical supermarket.
  • The Zhan on 06 Jan 12
     
    "Koreans are really interested in converging and cramming many different functions into a single gadget, and mixing technologies, in order to find novel ways to complete ordinary tasks,"  "Our customers are really busy and many don't have the time to go to the supermarket to do their shopping (...) so our virtual store allows them to save time." Will the virtual store and smartphone app replace the traditional concept of shopping?
joey <3

Chinese Hackers Blamed for Huge South Korean Database Theft - CSO Online - Security and... - 2 views

www.csoonline.com/...ge-south-korean-database-theft

1.2_security 3.7_databases 2.5_social_networking

shared by joey <3 on 05 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • the main worry is that the data theft will fuel a rise in spamming, phishing and social engineering attacks.
  • joey <3 on 05 Jan 12
     
    "Hackers have stolen the personal data of 35 million users of the South Korean social network Cyworld and search engine Nate, the company that runs them SK Communications has admitted."
  • Isy :) on 06 Jan 12
     
    This article talks about the theft of personal details such as email addresses, phone numbers and passwords, despite having been encrypted. This article brings up the ethical issues of privacy, reliability and security, showing that even though precautions such as encryption were taken to avoid such incidents, private and confidential information was still hacked. It questions the reliability and the security of online systems which store private data in databases, and will no doubt discourage people from using or providing personal information to such websites. Though the incident can be overcome by asking users to "reset those credentials", the theft presents the possibility of increased amounts of spamming and phishing, therefore actions should be taken to inform and protect users from becoming victims of such scams. The following website gives suggestions on how to protect yourself against phishing: http://www.focus.com/fyi/44-ways-protect-phishing/
Mr Brooke

Ordering Pizza in 2015 | American Civil Liberties Union - 7 views

www.aclu.org/...ordering-pizza-2015

1.3_privacy_anonymity 2.5_home_leisure 3.7_databases

shared by Mr Brooke on 30 Jan 12 - Cached
  • Mr Brooke on 30 Jan 12
     
    "Ordering Pizza in 2015"
  • ...1 more comment...
  • Ines Simon on 30 Jan 12
     
    Scary! After this video I surely don't want to order another pizza. The social and ethical issue here is surely privacy. With only one phone call, people can "wire into the system" and be able to view this type of personal information. Plus, if this is in 2005, nowadays not only we can figure out this information, but also more! Privacy is becoming a great issue as we are seeing that as technology is increasing, the less privacy we have, more people are starting to be able to access people's personal information. Relating to this videos, solutions that could apply could be: 1. When ordering a pizza, instead of calling from your mobile phone or home phone, call from the nearest phone booth to your house an order to somewhere near your house. Yet, don't give any personal information such as home address or mobile phone number. 2. Don't order! Go to the pizzaria and buy your pizza straight from the restaurant. In this way, you surely don't have to give any personal information so that you'll have more privacy than if you called from your phone.
  • Jorge F1 on 02 Feb 12
     
    The social and ethical issue here is surely privacy. We can see here that there are various databases which are interconnected and the pizza restaurant is able to access all of them. This is a major issue as the pizza restaurant can invade the customers privacy and use the data to exploit the customer e.g. the pizza restaurant may see that the customer is wealthy and charge a higher price. Furthermore, If anyone else can gains access to this information the customers safety can be put at risk for instance, the pizza service knows whether or not you are at home therefore this could increase home robberies.
  • joey <3 on 03 Feb 12
     
    i think this can even be considered dangerous. There could be a scenario where a young and wealth girl places the pizza offer. what could happen then is the person on the phone would know all her private information where she lives, where she works/studies her income and would probably end up with a picture of her. the person on the phone might not be a very reliable person and decide to do something dangerous
Ines Simon

Study: Multitasking hinders youth social skills - CNN.com - 7 views

edition.cnn.com/...index.html

shared by Ines Simon on 30 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • A few years ago, Nass worked on a study about how multitasking affects adults. He found that heavy multitaskers experience cognitive issues, such as difficulty focusing and remembering things. They were actually worse at juggling various activities, a skill crucial to many people's work lives, than those who spent less time multitasking, Nass said.
    • Ines Simon
      Ines Simon on 30 Jan 12
       
      "Heavy multitaskers experience cognitive issues, such as difficulty focusing and remembering things."
  • Ines Simon on 30 Jan 12
     
    (CNN) -- FaceTime, the Apple video-chat application, is not a replacement for real human interaction, especially for children, according to a new study. Tween girls who spend much of their waking hours switching frantically between YouTube, Facebook, television and text messaging are more likely to develop social problems, says a Stanford University study published in a scientific journal on Wednesday.
  • The Zhan on 02 Feb 12
     
    Employees of Silicon Valley giants like Google, Apple, Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard opt to send their children to computer-free Waldorf schools. These subscribe to a teaching philosophy focused on physical activity and learning through creative, hands-on tasks. They affirm that computers inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans. Computers are not allowed in classrooms and "their use at home" is frowned upon. "Teaching is a human experience," says an associate professor of education at Furman University, "Technology is a distraction when we need literacy, numeracy and critical thinking." "And where advocates for stocking classrooms with technology say children need computer time to compete in the modern world, Waldorf parents counter: what's the rush, given how easy it is to pick up those skills?" http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?_r=4&pagewanted=all
  • Morten Nielsen on 02 Feb 12
     
    It's true that computers can give a person bad habits, I do not doubt that. But the article is not offering any numbers nor web page reference of any kind; so we cannot verify this easily. However, my point is that perhaps computers have not made anyone more antisocial, than what they would have been without computers. The articles says that "Young girls who spend the most time multitasking between various digital devices, communicating online or watching video are the least likely to develop normal social tendencies", but what is "normal social tendencies"? There will be some of these young girls without "normal social tendencies", but I doubt that the difference between these young girls, and the ones who does not multitask - is about the same amount of girls without these normal tendencies. Not all mice are gray, some are brown. Not all users of IT are antisocial, some who aren't will be antisocial as well.
Mr Brooke

Digital Millenium Copyright Act: Home - 2 views

dmca.ucr.edu

1.4_Intellectual_Property

shared by Mr Brooke on 13 Sep 10 - Cached
  • Mr Brooke on 13 Sep 10
     
    "The distribution of copyrighted materials without permission (over the internet) can be a violation of federal law. The law is known as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 ("DMCA"). Much of the music, movies, video, or games that are downloaded via file sharing networks like KaZaA, Gnutella, Napster, Blubster, and eDonkey, are distributed without the permission of the copyright owner, and thus these downloads are illegal. The federal government and various organizations (such as the Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA) are very serious about enforcing the provisions of the DMCA legislation, and violations can carry stiff fines and potential jail sentences."
The Zhan

BBC News | Whiteboard projector safety fears - 2 views

news.bbc.co.uk/6253410.stm

2.2_edu_training 2.2_IT_teach_learn 2.4_health 2.4_psy_phys_considerations 3.1_hardware

shared by The Zhan on 28 Sep 10 - No Cached
  • Interactive whiteboards have been heralded as devices that will enhance education and be a major plank in the government's drive for new technology in schools. But the BBC has learnt that while millions of pounds have been spent on them, very little attention has been paid to a potential threat to the eyesight of teachers and children.
  • Documents from the Health and Safety Executive, obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act, say users "should make sure that direct beam viewing of the optical output from this equipment is both controlled and restricted to no more than a few tens of seconds at a time".
  • A straw poll of teaching representatives in Wiltshire shows only a small number have been told how to use whiteboards safely
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • "It's very difficult to avoid the beam because if you are standing in front and demonstrating a point to the class you immediately want to turn round to know that they are aware of what you are saying, rather than ducking out of the beam. You want to stay there and face the class."
  • 250,000 whiteboards in the UK used on a daily basis
  • The Zhan on 28 Sep 10
     
    Interactive whiteboards have been heralded as devices that will enhance education and be a major plank in the government's drive for new technology in schools. But the BBC has learnt that while millions of pounds have been spent on them, very little attention has been paid to a potential threat to the eyesight of teachers and children
  • The Game on 29 Sep 10
     
    That's a very good point. Most teachers never think about that.
  • Mr Brooke on 29 Sep 10
     
    I had better wear some shades in future.
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